The Imagine Cup Software Development Invitational: Implications for use in the IS Capstone Course

摘要

Employers have been critical of the opportunities students have to integrate technical business and soft skills in IS programs. The IS capstone course is one mechanism through which to address this need. Literature indicates IS capstone courses differ in the weight they place on technology, business, and soft skills integrated as a part of the course. This paper argues it is important to address all three skill sets in a roughly equitable manner while it is often a student's technical skills that get them an interview, it is their business and soft skills that get them hired (Litecky, Arnett, & Prabhakar, 2004). The Imagine Cup Software Development Invitational (SDI) is introduced as a way to accomplish this equitable integration. Benefits and challenges in using the Imagine Cup SDI as a part of an IS capstone course are discussed as well as suggested directions for future research.